Learn Korean Hangeul 1: Letterㅏ"ah"

This quiz is the first in a series dedicated to teaching JetPunkers how to read hangeul, the standard Korean writing system. You don't need to know any Korean to get started!

Every word in hangeul in this quiz contains the character ㅏ , which is pronounced like the "ah" in "Bah, humbug!"

Letters other than the ㅏ symbol found in the hangeul examples below represent consonants. For example, ㄴ is the "n" consonant symbol, so 나 should be read like the "nah" in "mynah bird." But there's one important exception! The circle symbol ㅇ is a silent placeholder, so 아 is pronounced simply "ah."

Your job is to guess the English counterparts of the Korean words listed. Clues have been provided to help you along. As you figure out the answers, be sure to compare the hangeul and English versions of the words--it'll help you remember how to read ㅏ in later quizzes.

If all goes well, by the end of the quiz you should have ㅏ= "ah" burned into your brain for good.